NHTSA Complaint #10149928 — 2002 TOYOTA CAMRY

THE 2002 TOYOTA CAMRY, PURCHASED USED FROM RAY BRANDT TOYOTA IN AUGUST OF LAST YEAR, COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN WHILE MY MOTHER WAS DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS THIS PAST MONDAY. SHE BARELY MISSED A HEAD-ON COLLISION, BECAUSE SHE WAS UNABLE TO CONTROL THE CAR WITHOUT POWER STEERING. I ADVISED HER TO BRING THE CAMRY IMMEDIATELY TO RAY BRANDT TOYOTA?? S SERVICE DEPARTMENT. SHE TURNED IT OVER TO THEM THAT SAME AFTERNOON. THE NEXT DAY A SERVICE TECHNICIAN WAS ABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM IN THE SHOP. EVEN WITH THE PROBLEM OCCURRING AT THE SHOP, THE TECHNICIANS WERE UNABLE TO LOCATE THE CAUSE THAT DAY. YESTERDAY, SHEILA, A RAY BRANDT TOYOTA SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE, ASSURED ME THAT THEY HAD SOLVED THIS TYPE OF INTERMITTENT PROBLEM BEFORE. I ASKED IF THE DIAGNOSTIC COST WOULD RUN INTO THE THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS. SHE SAID $300 WOULD MOST LIKELY BE ENOUGH TO PAY FOR THE DIAGNOSTIC TIME TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE. SHE ADDED THAT SHE WOULD BE CALLING ME WITH THE RESOLUTION TODAY. TODAY, AT APPROXIMATELY 12:45 PM I WENT IN PERSON TO THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT. I SPOKE TO ANOTHER RAY BRANDT TOYOTA CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE NAMED MIKE. I ASKED HIM HAD RAY BRANDT TOYOTA SOLVED THIS TYPE OF PROBLEM BEFORE. MIKE STATED THAT YES THEY HAD ALTHOUGH IT TOOK 2 WEEKS AND COST $850. MIKE TOLD ME TO BE PATIENT; GIVE RAY BRANDT TOYOTA TIME TO FIX IT. LATER THIS AFTERNOON SHEILA TOLD MY MOTHER THAT THERE WAS NOTHING RAY BRANDT TOYOTA??S SERVICE COULD DO TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. THIS WAS, OF COURSE A DIRECT CONTRADICTION TO WHAT SHE STATED TO ME YESTERDAY. MY MOTHER THEN AGAIN EXPRESSED HER CONCERN THAT THE CAR WAS A DEATH TRAP. SHEILA AGREED THAT THE CAR WAS, IN FACT, NOT SAFE TO DRIVE. SHE NEVERTHELESS TOLD MY MOTHER TO COME PICK THE CAR UP. DOING THAT TO MY MOTHER WAS DESPICABLE. *NM